The present invention relates to a seam release strip type composite container for fluent materials in the liquid or semi-frozen state, and to a method for making the same. Seam release strip composite containers are well known in the art, as illustrated by the U.S. patent to Balocca U.S. Pat. No. 3,142,433, Slomski U.S. Pat. No. 3,330,436, and Ellis U.S. Pat. No. 3,367,531. However, the seam release strip composite containers of the prior art have generally been used for packaging products, such as juice concentrates in a frozen condition, and consequently they do not provide adquate container end closure sealing means for holding fluent materials in the liquid or semi-frozen state.
In the prior art devices, it has proven difficult to provide a seam release strip composite container with a container end closure sealing means which prevent outward seepage of materials in the liquid or semi-frozen state. On the one hand, a tighter crimp seam does not allow for easy manual removal of a plastic seam release strip from under the crimped seam, while on the other hand, a larger end closure member which provides a tighter fit between the container end closure and composite body wall does not provide adequate space between the end closure and body wall to allow insertion of the end closure into the container body without disturbing the inner layers of the composite body wall.
The present invention was developed to avoid the above and other drawbacks of the prior art.